“There is a mismatch between the way companies like to hire people and the way graduates and young professionals like to get hired.”

Paul McCormick has represented a half dozen of the biggest names in the banking world in his 30 years as a fixed income trader. Now he works as a graduate recruiter for Thomson Reuters, and also writes a blog, Opening City Doors, that helps graduates and young professionals find a place in the London financial scene.

He says most companies’ recruitment flow charts run from the top down – internally, personal referrals, LinkedIn contacts, professional recruiters – and resort to company web sites and submitted CVs only after those other channels have been exhausted. Job seekers who rely primarily on the lowest channels will likely be disappointed. The successful candidate will listen to McCormick’s talk and follow his instructions.